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THE TWO KINGS 



OR 



Talks for the Young 



BY 

REV. L. H. SCHUH, A.M., Ph.D. 

President of Capital University, Columbus, Ohio. 

Author of " How to Make Marriage a Success." 



LUTHERAN BOOK CONCERN 

COLUMBUS, OHIO 
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Copyright 1908. 
By LOUIS H. SCHUH. 



\ PREFACE. 

WHILE the writer was still in the 
pastorate he frequently delivered 
special addresses to the young in 
the congregation. A number of these ad- 
dresses are here given in print with the hope 
of reaching and benefiting a wider circle of 
persons. 

Those who have attempted the task of 
addressing boys and girls from 8-15 years 
of age, know what a difficult matter it is to 
hold their attention and to make plain to 
them the great truths of our faith. Such 
persons will be inclined to be charitable in 
their judgment on this work. 

In view of the flood of juvenile books 
mostly of a trashy nature that are poured 
upon our boys and girls, it is to be hoped 
that there will be enough friends who desire 



4 PREFACE. 

stronger and more wholesome food to jus- 
tify the publication of this booklet. 
God speed thee on thy way ! 

The Author. 



Columbus, Ohio, October 1908. 



CONTENTS. 

The Two Kings 7 

The Perfect Pattern 37 

A Savior 63 

The Great Light 87 

A Mysterious Change 109 



The Two Kings. 

"This is the month and this the happy morn 
Wherein the Son of Heaven's eternal 
King 
Of wedded maid and virgin mother born; 
Our great redemption from above did 
bring, 
For so the holy sages once did sing, 

That He our deadly forfeit should re- 
lease, 
And with His Father work in a perpetual 

peace." 

— Milton. 



THE TWO KINGS. 

Once upon a time there was a king whose 
name was Agathos. He had received this 
name from his people. He was so very kind 
to all his people that they called him 
Agathos, which means the good. He seemed 
to think little about himself. All his atten- 
tion was bestowed upon his subjects. 

True, he lived in a palace befitting his 
station ; you would not expect a king to live 
in a barn. This palace had spikes of gold on 
the roof. Its walls were crystal, and, when 
the rising sun shone on it, the beholder was 
fairly dazzled. Those who passed by heard 
strains of music; not jerky, harsh strains, 
but soft and low as if the court were attend- 
ing worship. Then the chorus would grow 
louder and louder, while human voices 
mingled with instruments, until it seemed 
that the walls could scarcelv contain the 



10 THE TWO KINGS. 

volume of sound. The people of the court 
were singing the praises of the king. 

Surrounding the palace was a beautiful 
park. It was planned by the king himself. 
Trees wonderful to behold, covered with 
leaves and flowers, abounded here ; and here 
the king came out in the cool of the evening 
and talked with his people. 

His robes were such as befitted a king. 
You would not expect him to go in rags. He 
was usually clad in a garment that was 
white as light. Even his clothing expressed 
his purity and perfection. 

There never was a government like his. 
The king concerned himself about every per- 
son and everything. There were no poor, 
nor sick, nor crippled in all his land. He 
went about among the people and saw that 
they had plenty of good food and clothing. 
If anybody was out of work he provided it. 
If anybody needed money, he furnished it. 
If any sickness threatened to attack a per- 
son, he warded it off . If any danger threat- 



THE TWO KINGS. 11 

ened to injure anyone, lie knew how to pre- 
vent it. 

The birds were not afraid of him, but 
would come and eat from his hand. Lions 
would not growl at him, they loved to look on 
his face. Snakes would not bite him, and the 
cattle would not run from his presence. 

There were no guards placed around his 
palace and his throne. Those who wished to 
speak to him could go in and out at pleasure. 
There was no need to lock his doors, for his 
people all loved him so that not one of them 
would do him any harm. 

When he walked along the street the 
children would flock around him, for he al- 
ways had presents for them and told them 
such interesting stories. The parents would 
greet him with a shout. No one felt like run- 
ning, because they had done no evil and did 
not feel guilty. He was never so happy as 
when he was with his people, and they were 
never so happy as when they were with him. 

Hard by this kingdom was another. It 
was ruled by a king whose people called him 



12 THE TWO KINGS. 

Kakos, which means the bad one. He was 
not interested in his subjects. He did not 
make laws to protect, but oppress them. It 
was a favorite sport of his to tie a man in a 
skin and then cast him to the dogs to be de- 
stroyed. Sometimes he would hang a man 
up for a couple of hours by his thumbs, or 
toes. 

Once he took two trees and bent their 
tops together. Then he ordered an unfor- 
tunate man to be tied by one leg to each top. 
Suddenly the trees were let fly. The man 
was lifted into the air and torn to pieces. 

Everybody in the kingdom had some bur- 
den to bear, or some disagreeable task to per- 
form. Everybody was crippled, or lame, or 
blind, or deaf, or dumb. Some lay for years 
in one position and prayed for death to 
come, they were so tired of lying. 

When the people complained about their 
hardships he would smile a real devilish 
smile and say : 4 ' Oh, just wait. This is only 
the beginning of your troubles. Do you see 
that black hole under yonder mountain? 



THE TWO KINGS. 13 

Well, that mountain is a great oven. I am 
having it heated until it gets white hot. 
Then I will cast all you folks in there. 
Now go back to your work. And mind that 
you keep at it with all your might. ' ' 

So the people went away with tears in 
their eyes and wondered how long they could 
stand it and whether they would live till the 
promised deliverer would come. 

Kakos and Agathos were at one time 
good friends. Kakos lived in the palace of 
Agathos and held a very high position there. 
He stood a great deal in the presence of the 
king and helped to control the kingdom. He 
was one of the leading men of the court. 

But one day an evil thought came into 
the heart of Kakos. He thought that he 
would like to be king. Of course, he knew 
that there was not room for two kings, and 
that it would be necessary for him to 
crowd the king from his throne. At first he 
shrunk from the bad thought, but as it came 
again and again, he finally gave way to it. 
This was the saddest hour of his life. 



14 THE TWO KINGS. 

The more he thought about it, the more 
it pleased him. It caused him some pain to 
think that the good king would have to be 
bound hand and foot and cast out of the 
palace. This was the more painful when it 
occurred to him that Agathos had never 
done him any harm, but, on the contrary, 
had raised him up to his position and hon- 
or. But Kakos wanted to be first in the 
realm. There was something in his heart 
that goaded him on. 

Of course, he knew that he could not hy 
himself accomplish his object. One day 
while he was walking in the park in the rear 
of the garden, he met an intimate friend. 
This one congratulated him upon his ex- 
alted position and the honor which Kakos 
was receiving at court. Then Kakos 
thanked him and suddenly said : ' ' Oh how I 
would like to be king." Then he went on 
to confide in his friend and told him how he 
had planned to dethrone Agathos and as- 
sume the rule himself. 

He promised his friend many honors if 



THE TWO KINGS. 15 

lie would help. It was not long until he 
was persuaded and promised to get all of his 
friends to help. 

One would scarcely believe it possible 
and yet it is true, that in a few days a large 
number of the court had joined the conspir- 
acy. They had laid a plot. While the king 
took his evening walk, Kakos and two others 
would rush on him and bind him. The rest 
were to prevent his friends from rescuing 
him. And every one who helped in the 
work was to receive a high position. Every- 
thing was ready for the onset. 

By some means the plot was discovered. 
Agathos at first was not willing to believe 
that his tried friend had turned traitor. But 
the evidence was so strong that he could not 
disbelieve it. 

He proceeded to act. He armed his 
faithful followers. He stationed them 
where they could rush to the rescue. He 
had never before carried a sword, but now 
he hid one under the folds of his garments. 

In the evening he went out for his ac- 



16 THE TWO KINGS. 

customed walk. He passed along the front 
of the palace. Thence down to the grotto 
and around the fountain. He crossed the 
footbridge toward the chapel and when his 
feet rested upon the middle section, it gave 
way. He fell below. Kakos and his 
friends leaped upon him. There was a 
shriek for help. The whole court was 
alarmed. Everywhere men rushed forth. 
Some came to help and some to hinder his 
capture. The beautiful palace and park 
were turned into a scene of blood. Nine 
days the conflict lasted. At times it seemed 
as if Kakos would be victorious and then the 
tide would turn. After a desperate struggle, 
which engaged every soul about the court, 
right prevailed. Kakos and his followers 
were expelled, and the palace and grounds 
were made fast against them. 

Once more Agathos sat on his throne. He 
was sole ruler. But his heart was sad when 
he thought of his former friends and of the 
lot that awaited them. 

Kakos and his followers went to a neigh- 



THE TWO KINGS. 1? 

boring country and set up a government. 
According to agreement, Kakos was made 
chief ruler ; but, contrary to all expectation, 
this man was so selfish that he disregarded 
the rights of all his subjects. They would 
come to him and remind him of his former 
promises, but he ignored all of them. Such 
persons who did not render absolute obed- 
ience he tortured into submission, until 
every one trembled when he was called into 
the presence of the king. 

One day Kakos issued a proclamation 
that all his people were to assemble for the 
discussion of a very important matter. The 
people read the proclamation and many of 
them thought that they would not go, but 
others said that refusal to attend the meet- 
ing might mean death. They resolved to go. 

The day arrived. From all parts the 
people came. They were a sorry sight. 
Some were sick, others lame, others disfig- 
ured, having felt the anger of the king. 

Every one was full of expectation. The 



18 THE TWO KINGS. 

hall was crowded, and when Kakos arose 
there was a stillness like death upon the as- 
sembly. The king stretched forth his hand 
to command still greater silence. Then he 
began to speak. 

" Subjects of my kingdom. It affords 
me pleasure to see you here in such large 
numbers. You evidently respect my power 
and therein you do well, for I am deter- 
mined that at any cost I will maintain my 
station." 

Then there was a cloud passed over his 
face. It became more determined and set 
and in a deep gutteral tone that indicated 
hatred and revenge he continued. 

"I have called you together to consult 
how we may take revenge on Agathos." 
With that a great shout arose from the mul- 
titude. "Revenge on Agathos. Hear ! 
Hear !" 

Kakos stretched forth his hand again and 
silence fell on them. He said: "Since we 
have been cast out of the palace and land 
of Agathos, my heart has had but one desire. 



THE TWO KIHGS. 19 

I long to be revenged. True, we cannot 
overcome Agathos. He is too securely en- 
closed in his palace and his army is too 
mighty for us. But we can offend him. We 
can grieve him. Let us see what we may to- 
day invent that will cause him pain. He 
who proposes the worst thing, shall have 
greatest honor. ' ' 

One prince arose and suggested to try by 
might to storm the palace. He was not yet 
convinced that it could not be done. But 
Kakos did not take to the plan. The people 
did not seem willing, they had not forgotten 
their former experience. 

Another suggested to lay a plot for the 
life of Agathos. He thought they might suc- 
ceed in corrupting some of his subjects and 
that they might assist them. But one arose 
and said: "I myself stabbed Agathos in 
the rebellion. But he cannot be wounded. 
He is immortal. ' ' 

Then Kakos fairly jumped to his feet. 
Said he, "I am mindful of a distant colony 
which the king has. I know with what care 



20 THE TWO KINGS. 

he dotes on it. He has taken the utmost 
pains to situate the people well. He himself 
laid out their dwelling place and has planned 
their welfare. Well do I remember how he 
told me: 'Lucifer (that was the name of 
Kakos while still at the court of Agathos). 
I expect great things from this colony. I 
love the people as I love my own subjects.' " 

Then Kakos continued: "I will go to that 
colony. I will deceive the people. I will 
make them doubt the goodness and truthful- 
ness of Agathos; I will promise them even 
greater blessings, if they will follow me. 
This will be the greatest pain that we can 
inflict on Agathos." 

Then he laughed. He shrieked till all 
the people trembled. 

Having recovered himself he said: "In 
every other matter we have disagreed. Our 
government has been torn by many conten- 
tions. But there is one thing on which we 
certainly can all agree. Are you all willing 
to seek revenge on Agathos; if so say: 
'Aye'." 



THE TWO KINGS. 21 

There was a leaping up upon the benches. 
A cry arose: "Aye, Aye !" It was many 
minutes until order was restored. The peo- 
ple all rejoiced that there was at least one 
thing on which all had agreed. ' ' Revenge, ' ' 
was heard from every mouth and written on 
every face. 

The meeting adjourned. Its purpose was 
accomplished. 

The king in his own person undertook 
the work. It was a long journey to that dis- 
tant colony. But he was driven by a burn- 
ing desire to be revenged. It did not seem 
to occur to him that it was his own fault that 
he was cast out of the court of Agathos and 
when the thought came he banished it from 
his mind. 

As he journeyed he meditated a plan. 
Undoubtedly the colonists had heard of the 
difficulties in the land of Agathos. It would 
not do to make it known that he was the 
leader of that rebellion. This must be hid- 
den. His only hope was to represent him- 
self as a friend of the colonists and, if pos- 



22 THE TWO KINGS. 

sible, he must lead them to doubt the good- 
ness of their king. 

On the third morning of his journey he 
sees the chief city coming in sight. Once 
more he tests his plans. It occurred to him 
that these people in no way whatever had 
offended him, but he said: "What of that? 
It will grieve Agathos. That's enough." 
And so he went on. 

As he entered the chy by one of the main 
streets it led him by a large common. From 
the number of people present he concluded 
that something unusual must be going on. 
So there was. They had the custom of hold- 
ing an annual gathering at which they re- 
counted the good things which they had en- 
joyed under the reign of Agathos. 

Kakos stood and listened. He knew that 
all their statements were true, and that noth- 
ing but goodness characterized the land. 

He stepped forward and asked for per- 
mission to speak. "Dear people," he said, 
"I am a stranger among you and I am 
amazed at the goodness of your king. But 



THE TWO KINGS. 23 

let me ask you, Why has the king forbidden 
you to eat freely of all manner of fruit 1 Or 
am I misinformed % Would so good a king 
refuse his people anything that is for their 
good? Certainly he has not forbidden it." 
But they insisted that he had. Then Kakos 
said: "There must be a reason for that. 
Your king knows that if you eat of it, you 
will become as wise as he is. This he dreads. 
Why are you so foolish to obey % Would you 
not like to be as wise as the king?" 

They listened. They paused. They 
thought that he might be right. 

He promised them that if they would go 
with him they should receive still better 
treatment. He painted in glowing colors 
the glories of his own country. He praised 
the virtue of the forbidden fruit. 

The people renounced Agathos. They 
turned to Kakos. They did according to 
their heart's desire. They were deceived. 
They seemed jubilant at first. But no 
sooner had they let Kakos set up his throne 
until they found out what a tyrant he was. 



24 THE TWO KINGS. 

They accused him of lying. He laughed. 
He began to impose burdens on them; they 
died from the effects. The same crul prac- 
tices of his own country he introduced here. 

Mothers wept when they saw their chil- 
dren killed. Men began to grow stooped 
from hard work. Children were left in ig- 
norance and suffered want. People no 
longer were affectionate and helpful as 
formerly. It was a changed world. 

The news of this estrangement of his col- 
ony was carried to Agathos. It grieved him 
sorely. He wept. He called his court to- 
gether and broke the news. Silently they 
received it. How thankful they were that 
they had escaped the snares of Kakos and 
that they were still with the good king. 

The king was sad. There was but one 
thought uppermost in his mind, namely, how 
he could rescue these deceived people. His 
son saw the pain of his father and came and 
said : ' ' Father, send me at the head of our 
army. Let me fight this wicked man and 
rescue these people from him. ' ' 



THE TWO KINGS. 25 

It was a happy thought. The face of the 
king lit up and he said: "Will you go and 
endure all the hardships of war and possibly 
lose your life?" 

"Yes," he answered, "seeing how much 
your happiness is wrapped up in these peo- 
ple, I will rescue them for your sake. ' ' 

Agathos ordered the fullest preparations 
to be made for war. He knew that it was 
the only way in which he could overcome so 
bad a man as Kakos. From all parts of his 
realm he gathered his soldiers. His gen- 
erals were marshalling the army and no 
pains were spared to make it efficient. As 
they had driven Kakos from their own land 
once, so now he was to be driven from the 
colony. 

Over in Terra, so the colony was called, 
a man and his wife sat by the bedside of a 
dying child. It was their only child. The 
boy had been born to them ; for six years he 
had brightened their home. Then suddenly 
he was stricken by some dread sickness. 

All night as he lay in a delirium the par- 



26 THE TWO KINGS. 

ents watched over him. They said but little. 
Their words were choked back by sobs. They 
knew that the boy must die. 

"Oh," sobbed the mother, "is there no 
help % If only Agathos knew of our distress. 
What have we done ! What have we done ! 
to renounce so good a king. Such suffering 
we did not formerly know." 

Then she stooped over the bed again. 
The boy was just breathing. His face was 
no more flushed with fever. It was like 
ashes. His brow was cold and clammy. She 
knew that a change had taken place, but she 
had never seen death yet. 

She attempted to raise his head. Just 
when she lifted it, he gasped. There was a 
gurgling sound. His features were set. His 
hands closed. His breath was gone. Her 
boy was dead. 

The parents were dumb. But recovering 
from the first shock the mother shrieked : " O 
Agathos, O Agathos, is there no way to es- 
cape this misery and once more to be 
happy?" 



THE TWO KINGS. 27 

There was a low rap at the door. The 
latch lifted and a man entered. He had a 
long flowing beard and garments. His face 
had no traces of suffering on it, but good- 
ness beamed from it. 

He laid his hand on the woman and said 
sympathetically : ' ' Peace be with you, Moth- 
er. I heard your cry and your mention of the 
name of my king. I see your grief and its 
terrible cause. I am come to tell you that 
there is relief coming for you and all the 
people. Agathos is even now marshalling 
his army. His own son will head it and it 
is determined that Kakos shall be driven 
from this land and you shall be free. Be 
patient. Wait. ' ' 

She seemed to forget her sorrow. Hope 
lit up her face. "And is it true that we 
shall be free from the power of this cruel 
Kakos?" 

"Yes, deliverance is coming," he said. 

"Then go and tell my sorrowing sister 
and my distressed relatives." She directed 
him to other homes. 



28 THE TWO KINGS. 

The message went from mouth to mouth. 
Oh, the good king be praised. He will de- 
liver us. ' ' Everywhere people carried their 
burdens stronger. They bore sorrow more 
cheerfully. Bcause they knew that their 
troubles were coming to an end. 

A year passed but no army came. The 
hopes of the people drooped. Some thought 
that the messenger was a deceiver; others 
thought that there must be some unaccount- 
able delay. But it was known that the man 
had really been among them. It was such a 
joyful message that at the very thought of it 
hope revived and they clung to it. But 
would the king 's son come % Oh if they only 
knew ! 

Another year passed. Still no sign of 
deliverance. Now some felt sure that the 
messenger had simply deceived them. The 
world looked sadder. Their burdens were 
heavier. 

An old man is grinding at the mill. His 
arm is withered and his cheeks sunken. 
Beads of sweat ooze from his forehead and 



THE TWO KINGS. 29 

fall to the ground. He breathes very heav- 
ily, for the task is beyond his strength. His 
overseer has increased his task and twice to- 
day he has flogged him for not working 
faster. His son has tried to come to the res- 
cue by taking a part of the work on himself, 
but when the taskmaster noticed it, he beat 
him and laid more work on him. 

Suddenly the old man lifts up his hands 
to heaven and cries: "O Agathos, we have 
deserved this. But must we suffer forever V 
He fell to the ground. He fainted. The 
task was beyond his strength. His son 
sought to revive him. But his life was eb- 
bing away. 

"Back to your task, you dog!" shouted 
the overseer. 

An hour the old man lay in the burning 
sun. Again his eyes opened. His strength 
revived. In a whisper he sighed: "O 
Agathos, come. Send thy son with the 
army. Help us." His hands were clasped 
as if in prayer. 

A form stooped over him and a voice 



30 THE TWO KINGS. 

said: "I hear you mention the name of my 
king. Agathos will soon send deliverance. 
The army is ready. The son is impatient. 
Victory is sure. Only believe. ' ' 

" I do, " whispered the dying man. ' ' But 
go and tell my people everywhere." His 
eyes rolled. His jaw dropped. He was 
dead. 

The messenger went from mill to mill, 
from task to task. "He is coming. Cheer 
up." And they who had been bowed to the 
earth stood erect, for there was a new hope 
within them. This time the messenger went 
throughout the realm. The people received 
him with joy and he comforted them that 
they were to be removed from the colony 
and taken back to the court of the king. 

They grew impatient from long waiting. 

Adown the street comes a horseman. 
There is an intent look upon his face, for he 
rides to reach a goal. He bears an impor- 
tant message. The flanks of the horse are 
heaving and blood breaks from his nostrils. 
His neck is stretched to the utmost and his 



THE TWO KINGS. 31 

eyes are glassy. He is urged to the limit of 
his ability and life. 

Past the guards the horseman dashes 
into the palace grounds. No resistance is 
offered, for his mien and manner betoken 
great danger. As he nears the palace he 
rises in his stirrups and with super-human 
effort he shouts: "The army! The army! 
The son! The son!" 

The cry is taken up in the palace hall. 
There is a clanking of arms within and a 
rattling of artillery without. The com- 
manders shout orders, while the subordin- 
ates reshout and obey them. 

The regiments are marshalled and are 
ready for marching. Anxious foreboding 
fills their hearts. 

Kakos was revelling when the messenger 
came. He seemed nailed to the floor. His 
generals urge him to action, but his hands 
refuse to do duty. He knows that the de- 
cisive hour has come, that he will be driven 
from the colony and made to retreat in 
shame. 



32 THE TWO KINGS. 

But at last he summons his courage. He 
rushes forth and swings himself into the 
saddle of the waiting steed. Then his face 
grows lurid like fire. He grasps his sword, 
buries the spurs in the flanks of his horse 
and dashes forward to stand at the head of 
the army. If there is anything of strength, 
or ability, or treachery in him, he means to 
put it forth now. He will not give up his 
hold on these people and this country. 

Without the city the army is drawn up 
in battle array. There is the booming of 
cannon. The conflict grows more deadly. 
But as the son sees his enemy he marks him 
for his prey. All around there is the most 
deadly conflict. 

With a shout of victory the two com- 
batants rush at each other. Kakos deals the 
son an overpowering blow. He reels from 
his horse. 

All along the line there is a shout of 
triumph, "Long live King Kakos." 

The advancing host of the son fall back 



THE TWO KINGS. 33 

for a moment. Can it be that their captain 
is slain 1 Will they lose the fight ? 

The shout of triumph came too soon. 
See, he rallies. Once more he has seated 
himself. He who was considered dead, lives. 
He deals Kakos a death blow. His hosts 
turn and flee. Consternation strikes them. 

The advancing army of the son shout: 
" Hallelujah. The kingdom is won!" As 
they ride into the city the colonists meet 
him and thank him for their deliverance. 
He shows them his bloody wounds and they 
kiss them. 

Together with the son they return to the 
court of Agathos, no more to leave it. 

Who is King Agathos? It is God who 
in the beginning dwelt in heaven surrounded 
by multitudes of good angels. Among these 
was Satan. Originally he was good and 
stood near the throne of God and had a 
position of great honor. He belonged to the 
highest rank of the angels, to the arch- 
angels. 



34 THE TWO KINGS. 

But he turned away from God. He 
wished to dethrone God and was cast out of 
heaven into hell, where he rules as a terrible 
tyrant and brings misery on all who fell 
away from God. 

To offend God he came to Paradise and 
deceived Adam and Eve. He led them into 
the sin of disobedience, which was punished 
with all kind of diseases and especially with 
death. 

From this state the good Lord Jesus, the 
Son of God, came to save men. His coming 
was foretold by the prophets such as Moses, 
David, Isaiah and Jeremiah. They came at 
long intervals, so much so that people often 
despaired of the coming of Christ. But at 
last in the fullness of time He came. 

Many hailed His arrival with delight. 
Such were the shepherds on the plains of 
Bethlehem who first heard the news of His 
birth. Simeon and Anna also gave Him a 
welcome. Many others paid no attention to 
Him, for He was not such a Savior as they 
expected. They wanted a Savior who would 



THE TWO KINGS. 35 

restore the Jewish nation to earthly power 
and glory. 

In fulfilling His work the Lord gave His 
life for the sins of the world. He died on 
the cross. By giving His life He paid the 
penalty of sin. 

But He did not remain in death. On the 
third day he arose from the dead. Satan 
and all the hellish host rejoiced when He 
died, for they thought that He was over- 
come. But it was too soon. When He came 
forth from the grave He gave the proof that 
He was mightier than death and Satan. 

Jesus has made it possible for us to be 
free from the power of Satan and after 
death to enter the presence of God and 
to enjoy the glories of heaven. There we 
shall see Him and be with Him for ever. 

Satan destroyed and ruined the work of 
God, but "for this purpose the Son of God 
was manifested, that He might destroy the 
works of the devil." 



The Perfect Pattern. 

"Unless above himself he can erect 
himself, how poor a thing is man!" 

— Daniel. 



THE PERFECT PATTERN. 

You have seen your Mamma making a 
dress. She lays a piece of goods on the 
table. Then she goes to the cupboard and 
gets down a box. It is full of paper rolls. 
She calls them her " patterns." 

There are patterns there for dresses and 
aprons and waists and a variety of gar- 
ments. Mamma could not get along without 
the patterns. 

After she has laid her goods on the table, 
she unrolls one of the rolls and takes out a 
piece of paper. She lays it on the goods. 
Then she takes a scissors and cuts out a 
piece of the goods that looks like a piece of 
the paper. 

So she goes on until she has quite a num- 
ber of pieces cut. She begins to sew them 
together. By and by she holds up a little 
dress and says : ' ' Come here, pet, let me see 
how this will fit you." 

29 



40 THE TWO KINGS. 

Mamma needs a pattern when she makes 
a dress, and the pieces in the dress are just 
like the pattern. It is her guide. She tries 
to get a good pattern or the dress will not fit. 
If the pattern has any faults in it, if one 
piece is too big or too little, too long or too 
short, she can't make the dress fit. 

When I was a boy my parents lived close 
to a foundry and I often looked in to see the 
workmen do their work. 

"What is a foundry?" 

A foundry is a shop in which men make 
things of iron. In such a shop you will find 
a large heap of sand. A man comes and 
sifts some of it into a box. Then he lays a 
pattern on the sand. Probably it is a stove 
lid. 

He then sifts more sand on the top and 
packs it tight. Then he opens the box in 
the middle, takes out the pattern and closes 
the box. There is an impression left in the 
sand. It is a hole just like the pattern. 

Toward evening men come along with a 
ladle full of molten iron. It is just as thin 



THE PERFECT PATTERN. 41 

as water. They pour the impression in the 
sand full of iron. The iron cools in a short 
time. The box is opened and there is the 
stove lid, just like the model. 

The men are very careful to get a perfect 
model. Pattern makers must be very exact. 
If they make a model with an imperfection 
in it, all the things cast after that model 
would be imperfect. So they work very 
long and carefully on a pattern. 

They always try to get the right model. 
If a man wants to cast a stove lid he does not 
take the pattern for a kettle or a flat iron. 
Men understand that the casting will be like 
the pattern. They hunt till they have the 
right one. 

Boys and girls grow up to be men and 
women. Jn order to do this right they must 
have a pattern to serve them as a guide. 
They do not know what is right and how 
they may please God. They need some one 
to tell them. Sin has made men blind and 
ignorant. Therefore we need some one after 
whom we may model our lives. What a mis- 



42 THE TWO KINGS. 

take it is if children do not find the perfect 
pattern. After their characters are once 
formed it is very hard to change them. 

You remember that Samson had his eyes 
jabbed out by the Philistines. Of course, he 
was blind after that. One day they called 
him to a great festival. He was to amuse 
the people. Being so very powerful he un- 
doubtedly was to perform feats of strength. 
He would toss up heavy objects, hold them 
at arms length, poise them on his hand. We 
all admire great strength. 

But Samson could not find these objects. 
A lad had to lead him about and guide him. 
Without the guide Samson could do nothing. 
He had in mind to rend the two pillars on 
which the amusement hall rested and thus 
destroy the building and kill all the people. 

But he was blind. He could not find the 
two posts and had to ask his guide to lead 
him up to them. When he found them, he 
called on God to help him. He gave him his 
great strength and Samson tore the pillars 
from their foundation and killed the ene- 






THE PERFECT PATTERN. 43 

mies of the Lord. But he had to depend on 
the help of his guide. 

What the Philistines did for the body of 
Samson that sin has done for our souls. It 
has made us blind. We cannot see what is 
right and pleasing to God. We cannot do it. 
We need a guide. Some one must show us 
what the will of God is and teach us how to 
do it. 

If the boy had led Samson to the wrong 
place, he could not have accomplished his 
purpose. Samson depended on his guide to 
lead him aright. The boy could very easily 
have taken the advantage of Samson, for he 
was stone blind. But the lad led him to the 
right place. 

A boy or a girl will succeed in growing 
up to be a good man or woman according to 
the pattern which they chose. They must 
have a guide. If they are so unfortunate as 
to choose a poor one, he will lead them astray 
and they turn out to be bad men and women. 
There is no use to try to accomplish any- 
thing without a guide. 



44 THE TWO KINGS. 

Some years ago a man attempted to cross 
the Rocky Mountains. It was necessary for 
him to do so. His friends warned him to 
hire a guide. But he said: "I know where 
I am going and can get along without any 
help." 

Well, he did get along for a while. Pre- 
sently he came to a fork in the road. He was 
undecided which one to take. But he 
thought that the fork to the right would lead 
him in the desired direction. For a while all 
went well. Then the trail became indistinct. 
At last it was lost. He wandered around a 
great deal and tried to get back. His pro- 
visions failed. And more than a year after- 
wards a surveying party found his dead 
body. He thought that he could guide him- 
self. But when too late he discovered his 
mistake. His self-dependence cost him his 
life. 

' ' I know where to find the pattern. I 
would look into the Bible, ' ' says little John. 

Well, that is very good, but it would not 
do to take every man spoken of in the Bible 



THE PERFECT PATTERN. 46 

as a pattern. The Good Book tells about 
some wicked men and they would not do at 
all. It also tells about some good men, yet 
even they could serve as models only 
in some points. Not in all. They had faults, 
and it would not do to imitate them. 

The Bible tells about Judas. His weak- 
ness was greed. He so loved money that for 
30 pieces of silver he was willing to betray 
his best friend, our Savior. He was so 
greedy for money, that for this small sum 
he was willing to hand Jesus over to His 
enemies. It would not do to take Judas as a 
pattern. 

Neither could you take King Ahab as a 
guide. He was married to a blood-thirsty 
woman and she goaded him on in his sins. 

Ahab wished to enlarge his palace 
grounds. There was a piece of land next to 
the royal garden which belonged to Naboth. 
Ahab was willing to buy the ground, but Na- 
both was not willing to sell it. The land was 
an inheritance and Naboth prized it on this 
account. It had belonged to his father. 



46 THE TWO KINGS. 

This so angered AJiab that he went home 
and went to bed sick. His godless wife knew 
how to help matters. She gave some wicked 
men money and they appeared before court 
and testified that Naboth had spoken evil of 
the Lord and of the king. 

Any man who did that was to be stoned 
to death. Naboth was innocent, but upon 
the testimony of several wicked men he was 
convicted and stoned to death. 

Ahab so coveted his neighbor's property 
that he committed murder to get it. Covet- 
ing is a terrible sin and sometimes leads to 
murder. You would make an awful mistake 
if you took Ahab for your pattern. 

You could not take Lot for your guide in 
everything. Lot was a God-fearing man and 
came with his uncle, Abraham, over to the 
Holy Land from Mesopotamia. These men 
grew so rich in the Land of Promise that 
they had to separate. They had so many 
herds that their herdsmen were continually 
quarrelling about the pasture. 

When the two men saw that it was neces- 



THE PERFECT PATTERN. 47 

sary to separte, Abraham gave Lot the 
choice. Lot looked toward Sodom. He saw 
that the region was well watered. He knew 
that this meant plenty of pasture. But he 
left out of the account the wicked people. 

At first he pitched his tent toward 
Sodom. Finally he got into the city. He 
got to be almost as bad as the inhabitants. 
Shameless sins were practiced on the streets. 

The Lord could suffer these sins no more 
and he resolved to destroy the city. He 
rescued Lot by two angels. But he lost all 
his property and his wife. He saved only 
his life. 

In making money you could not afford to 
expose your soul to so great dangers as Lot 
did and therefore you could not follow him. 

King Saul might do as a guide in some 
things, but he is far from being a perfect 
model. When he was first chosen king by 
the people he was so modest that he hid him- 
self. Modesty is very becoming in young 
people. 

Neither would he take revenge on those 



48 THE TWO KINGS. 

who did not wish to acknowledge him king. 
To refrain from revenge is a great virtue. 

But Saul made some great mistakes. 
Jehovah sent him down into the land of 
Midian and told him to utterly destroy the 
Amalakites. When Moses was leading the 
Israelites from Egypt to Canaan these peo- 
ple refused to let him pass. 

But Moses beat them. Joshua led the 
army to battle. Moses held his hands in 
blessing over them and as long as his hands 
were lifted up, Joshua and the army con- 
quered. And when his hands sunk, they lost. 
So Aaron and Hur stood under his arms and 
held them up till sunset, and they had a great 
victory and passed on their way. 

But the Lord did not forget this. So 
after about 400 years He sent Saul down to 
kill all their people and their cattle. They 
had by this time grown so utterly wicked 
that the Lord could no longer tolerate them. 

But Saul disobeyed. He reserved the 
king and the best of the cattle. He made an 
excuse that he wanted the cattle for sacrifice, 



THE PERFECT PATTERN. 49 

but Samuel told him that ' ' Obedience is bet- 
ter than sacrifice." Saul so far departed 
from Jehovah that he committed suicide 
after losing the battle of Gilboa. 

Surely you could not afford to take this 
man as your pattern and make the same ter- 
rible mistakes which he made. 

King David might serve as an example in 
some things, but not in all. He is no perfect 
pattern. 

He refused to avenge himself on King 
Saul. He sought the life of David. Once 
when David was playing on the harp to drive 
the evil spirit away from Saul, he tried to 
thrust him to the wall with his javelin. 

Later he pursued David with soldiers. 
David had to leave home and flee. Saul came 
into a cave. David was so near that he cut 
off a bit of his mantle. He could easily have 
killed his deadly enemy, but he feared God 
and restrained his hand. He showed Saul 
the bit of cloth after he had gone away and 



50 THE TWO KINGS. 

he was obliged to say : ' * Surely you are more 
righteous than I." 

It is forbidden to take revenge on our 
enemies. We incline to do it; but David 
mastered his feelings. In that he showed 
himself a good man. 

David was a man of many wars. He con- 
quered all the nations that bordered on the 
Holy Land. At last while his army was out 
finishing up a campaign he stayed at home. 
He was idle. Idleness led him into two sins. 

He saw a woman whom he wanted for his 
wife. When he sent for her she already had 
a husband. But David so lusted after her 
that he sent a note to his chief captain, Joab, 
to place Uriah, the husband of Bathshebah, 
in the thickest of the fight where he would be 
sure to get killed. His orders were obeyed. 
Uriah was killed. 

David thus committed murder and adul- 
tery. He repented of these crimes and they 
were forgiven. But it would not do in all 
things to follow King David. 

So we might go on and show you that it 



THE PERFECT PATTERN. 51 

would not do to take Aaron and Moses, Eli 
and Samuel and a long list of ancient 
worthies as your guide in everything. They 
are not perfect patterns. All these men were 
sinful. They all made mistakes. Some of 
them erred grieviously and were even lost. 

There is not a mere man mentioned in the 
entire Bible whom it would do to imitate in 
everything. If we follow them entirely we 
will often go wrong and grieve God. 

There was but one perfect pattern. That 
was our Savior. Him the Bible sets before 
us as our guide in everything. He had no 
sin. He never did anything wrong. He 
knew the entire will of God and He always 
did it. We can make no mistake in anything 
if we follow Him. If you take Him as your 
guide He will lead you safely through this 
life into that which is to come. 

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost. 
There was no sin in the start of His being. 
Children are sinful because their parents 
before them are sinful. None of us are holy 



52 THE TWO KINGS. 

because our parents were not holy. Prom 
a sinner only a sinner can be born. 

At the baptism of Christ the heavens 
opened and a voice was heard saying : ' ' This 
is My beloved Son in whom I am well 
pleased." The Father found no fault in 
Him. 

Jesus stood before His bitterest enemies 
asking them : " Which of you convinceth me 
of sin ?" They would gladly have done so if 
it were possible. He lived among them. 
They daily observed His life. They hated 
Him because He accused them of sin and 
they would have been only too willing to 
fasten some fault on Him. But it was not 
possible. He had no sin. 

"But, Papa, was it not very easy for 
Christ to resist sin? Certainly He did not 
have such a hard time to be good as we 
have." 

Yes, son, it was hard for Jesus to resist 
sin. We are told that He was ' l in all points 
tempted like as we are; but was without 
sin." Heb. 4, 15. 



THE PERFECT PATTERN. 63 

He was a true man. Sin tried Him as it 
tries us. But He withstood. 

For this very reason He is able to be our 
Savior because He knows how trying sin is. 

The devil in his own person came to 
Christ to persuade Him to sin. Immediate- 
ly after His baptism He was led of the 
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by 
the devil. The Savior fasted 40 days and 40 
nights. Afterwards He was an hungered. 
Satan thought that this would be a weak 
place and there he attacked the Lord. He 
told Him to show that He was the Son of 
God by commanding the stones lying near 
by to be turned into bread. But Jesus over- 
came him by adhering to the Bible. 

Then Satan took Christ upon the pin- 
nacle of the temple. It was on one of the 
porches surrounding the temple court. The 
distance into the Jordan valley was 450 feet. 
He told Christ to jump down and thus show 
Himself to be the Son of God. He further 
said that no harm would come to Him, since 
the angels would bear Him up upon their 



54 THE TWO KINGS. 

hands. But the Lord again overcame him 
by doing what the Bible commands. 

At last Satan led the Lord upon an ex- 
ceeding high mountain and showed Him all 
the kingdoms of the world and the glory of 
them and said: "All these will I give Thee 
if Thou wilt fall down and worship me." 
Again Jesus resisted his temptations by 
holding to the Bible. 

The devil is not a man whom you can beat 
with your fist. He is a spirit. He comes to 
you by wicked thoughts. You cannot take a 
sword and cut him. You must watch your 
thoughts and then do as Jesus did. When 
he tells you to do wrong, you must say: 
"No, I cannot. God tells me in the Bible to 
do otherwise and I will not offend Him." 

Because the proper weapon to resist the 
devil is the Word of God it is called the 
"sword of the Spirit." In this, Christ is a 
perfect example. If we do as He did, we 
will be safe against the temptations of the 
devil. 



THE PERFECT PATTERN. 65 

The devil is represented as a roaring lion 
going about seeking whom he may devour. 

In the state of Washington there are 
great forests. The trees are as much as 400 
feet high and from 10-14 feet in diameter. 
In these dense forests many wild animals 
live. Among them is the North American 
lion. It has a habit of getting up in a tree 
and when a man or an animal passes below, 
it pounces down and crushes its prey. It 
gives no warning and makes sure work. The 
people never seem to be safe. 

There was once a missionary party going 
up into central Africa. Of course, the peo- 
ple traveled by ox carts. Every night they 
drew a circle with the wagons. Within they 
built a fire and collected the cattle. Why? 
Because there were lions prowling around at 
night and no man's life was safe. 

Frequently they would shoot out into the 
dark. Sometimes they could even see the 
glare of two fiery eyes. All night they were 
disturbed by growling and kept up a con- 
stant watch. 



56 THE TWO KINGS. 

But one night the lions seemed hungry. 
They had been held at bay so long. In spite 
of all the watching they attacked the camp. 
There was a bloody fight. There were two 
oxen killed. A lion jumped on the leading 
missionary and broke his arm, and it was 
only after a desperate struggle that two lions 
were killed. 

David Livingstone, the great African 
missionary and explorer, knew what the 
Bible means when it compares Satan to a 
roaring lion. 

The only way to resist him is to be on the 
watch constantly and to do as the Bible 
teaches. This example was set us by Jesus. 

Our Master was a perfect model to us in 
obedience to God. The whole life of Jesus is 
expressed in the one word, obedience. 

His Father asked some very hard things 
of Him, and it cost our Lord a struggle to 
obey. Yet He submitted. God asked Him 
to die for the sins of the world. Jesus loved 
His life as well as we do. Death was terrible 
to Him as it must be to every human being. 



THE PERFECT PATTERN. 57 

It is the most dreadful of all punishments 
for sin and we all shrink from it. 

So did Jesus. His disciples tried to per- 
suade Him not to suffer death. When it 
came, we see Him in the garden of Geth- 
semane crying out: "Father, if it be pos- 
sible, let this cup pass from me. Neverthe- 
less, not as I will, but as Thou wilt." 

He asked His Father if the world could 
be redeemed in some other way than by 
death, to choose that way. But when He 
learned that there was no other way, that it 
was necessary for Him to drink the bitter 
cup, He was ready to die. 

He never did anything contrary to the 
will of His Father. He always asked G-od 
what His will was and when He learned it, 
He did it, no matter how hard it was. 

There was a mother whose son was sick. 
She prayed for his recovery, but the boy 
grew worse hour by hour. The mother con- 
tinued in her prayer, but the answer was not 
such as she had hoped for. 

Soon the boy seemed to be dying. The 



68 THE TWO KINGS. 

mother could not give him up. She could 
not willingly obey the will of God. Then she 
went to her closet, knelt down and prayed: 
"Oh God, I have always prayed, 'Thy will 
be done.' But this time I am going to ask 
you to let my will be done. It is so hard to 
give up my son. I cannot obey. ' ' 

She arose from her knees and went back 
to the bed. The boy was breathing easier. 
Next day he was out of danger. In a few 
weeks he was fully restored to health. She 
was so happy. 

Ten years afterwards her son committed 
a murder and was sentenced to be hanged. 
She had her way at first only to see what an 
awful mistake it was not to give up to the 
will of God. 

Jesus always obeyed God in all things 
and we will find help in His blessed example. 

Our Master not only obeyed His heavenly 
Father, but His earthly parents. 

When Jesus was 12 years old He went 
with His parents to Jerusalem to attend the 
Paschal feast. The magnificent building 



THE PERFECT PATTERN. 69 

and the beautiful services left a deep im- 
pression on Him. 

He became so absorbed in the religious 
discussions of the learned men in the 
temple that He forgot to return home. He 
asked the doctors questions and gave them 
answers. They were astonished at His 
understanding and answers. 

His parents left Jerusalem, but soon dis- 
covered their loss. Then they went back to 
seek Him. His mother chided Him, but He 
said that she might know that He must be 
about His Father's business. Even then He 
found great delight in holy service. 

He went down from Jerusalem and we 
are told that He was subject unto them. 
Strange that Jesus, being so great and holy, 
should be willing to obey sinful parents such 
as Joseph and Mary were. 

Joseph was a carpenter. Jesus helped 
him at his trade. He would run errands for 
His father and be helpful to His mother. He 
knew how hard it was for children to obey 



60 THE TWO KINGS. 

and He wished to set them a perfect ex- 
ample. 

Our Lord never said to His mother : "I 
won't do it." That wicked, rebellious word 
never escaped His mouth. When He saw 
anything in which He could serve and please 
His parents, He did it. Oh, what happy 
parents they must have been to have such an 
obedient, faithful Son! 

Absalom was a very wicked man. He got 
up a rebellion and tried to drive his father 
from the throne. He made the people be- 
lieve that King David was not treating them 
right and that if he were king they might 
expect justice. 

At Hebron he was proclaimed king and 
came up to Jerusalem. His father fled from 
the Holy City. But in the battle which oc- 
curred Absalom's beast ran under a tree. 
His beautiful hair was tossed by the wind 
and caught in the branches. The beast ran 
away and Absalom hung there. When foimd 
by the enemy, in spite of the instructions of 



THE PERFECT PATTERN. 61 

David to save the boy, they thrust darts 
through his heart and killed him. 

David was a sorrowful father and wept 
bitterly for his son. But Absalom was a dis- 
obedient son and deserved his lot. 

Hophni and Phinehas were the two 
wicked sons of the high priest, Eli. Con- 
trary to Jehovah's will they carried the ark 
of the covenant into the battle against the 
Philistines. It was taken from them. The 
Lord forsook them. Both were killed and 
a messenger brought the news to Eli. He 
had gone to await the messenger from the 
battle. In falling he broke his neck. In one 
day father and sons were killed, the ark of 
the covenant robbed, the family of Eli was 
rejected from the honor of the high priest- 
hood. All this because of the disobedience 
of two bad boys. 

It would not do to take Absalom, Hophni 
and Phinehas as examples for imitation. 
They are examples of warning. 

But in Christ we have the example of a 
perfect child. From Him we may learn how 



62 THE TWO KINGS. 

to obey father and mother. When your 
heart gets rebellious, look to Christ and a 
new spirit will fill you. 

"Jesus be our guide, 

As through life we glide. 

Faithfully in our behavior 

May we follow Thee, dear Savior. 

Lead us by Thy hand 

Through to father land ! ' ' 



A Savior. 



"Unto you is born this day in the city 
of David a Savior which is Christ the 
Lord." 



68 



A SAVIOE. 

In 1620 a Dutch trading vessel brought 
into the James river in Virginia a cargo of 
negroes. These poor men were captured in 
Africa. They were dragged from their 
homes and people. Arriving in America 
they were sold as slaves. So slavery was in- 
troduced into the United States. 

The inhabitants of Virginia thought that 
it would be very profitable to buy these 
colored men and make them work for noth- 
ing on the plantations. It may have been 
profitable to the owners, but it was a dear 
experience for our country. 

There always were people who thought it 
wrong for one man to buy and own another 
and make him a slave. God is the Father of 
all human beings. They are all His children 
and therefore brothers and sisters and it is 
certainly contrary to His will that one man 
should enslave and abuse another, 

5 65 



66 THE TWO KINGS. 

Slaves increased very rapidly in the 
Union. Some of them had fairly good mas- 
ters, but others had tyrants. These beat the 
slaves till they bled. They sold the little 
children away from the parents and caused 
much heartache. 

The question was soon asked: Should 
these people not be free? Many were in 
favor of liberating the blacks. There was 
strong opposition to admitting any more 
slave states into the Union. 

In 1820, just 200 years after slavery was 
introduced into our land, Missouri applied 
for statehood. There was a warm discussion. 
It allowed slavery. Finally it was decided 
to admit it as a slave state, but that north of 
latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes and west of 
the Mississippi River no more slave states 
were to be admitted. 

The question was being warmly discussed 
for 40 years. Then a President named 
Abraham Lincoln was elected. He was a 
man with a very kind heart. It was his pur- 
pose to 'liberate all slaves in America. 






A SAVIOE. 67 

Lincoln signed the emancipation procla- 
mation, that is, he signed his name to a 
paper which declared all negroes in the 
Union free men. They had the right to 
leave their masters and begin to work for 
themselves. No master could pursue them 
with blood-hounds, or in any legal way get 
them into his power again. 

Abraham Lincoln was the savior of the 
negroes. He saved them from slavery and 
gave them freedom. 

Let us turn to another savior. 

Jacob had a favorite son, Joseph. The 
father gave him a coat of many colors. It 
was a richly embroidered Babylonish gar- 
ment. This made the brothers of Joseph 
very jealous. Joseph would report their 
evil deeds to their father. This angered 
them. 

One day Jacob sent Joseph to Dothan to 
see how the sons were getting along with the 
flocks. They had many herds and frequent- 
ly pasture got short. They wandered from 



68 



THE TWO KINGS. 



place to place. Joseph went to Dothan, but 
his brothers were gone to Shechem. 

Thither he followed them. "When they 
saw him coming they said: "Here comes 
the dreamer. Come, let us kill him." What 
a wicked lot of men they were. They all 
agreed to this deed but one, Reuben. He 
wished to cast Joseph into a pit, hoping, 
undoubtedly, that at an opportune time he 
would rescue the boy. 

Soon a caravan came that way. It was 
a train of camels all loaded with merchan- 
dise. The caravan was going to Egypt. The 
brothers thought it better to sell Joseph 
than to kill him. So they bartered him away 
for 20 pieces of silver. 

Poor Joseph was taken down to Egypt. 
There he was sold into the house of Poti- 
phar, the chief of the guard. Joseph be- 
haved so well that the management of the 
house was soon entrusted to him. 

For 10 years all went well. Then Poti- 
phar's wife wished Joseph to commit a 



a savioe. 69 

grievous sin. When she failed to entrap 
him, she had him cast into prison. 

In prison all went well with him. He 
was soon placed over the prisoners. By in- 
terpreting dreams Joseph gained a high 
rank. 

Soon he was called to interpret a dream 
for Pharaoh. These dreams were to tell the 
ruler of Egypt that a seven-year famine was 
coming. Joseph advised him to select a wise 
man to collect all the surplus grain in the 
seven years of plenty and lay it up against 
the seven years of coming famine. 

Joseph was selected and gathered up the 
grain. 

This famine also came upon the land 
where Joseph's father and brethren lived. 
Jacob sent his sons down to Egypt to buy 
grain. They were directed to Joseph. He 
gave them all that they needed. 

On their next visit he told them who he 
was. He asked about his father and told 
them that there were still five years of 
famine left. He invited them to come down 



70 THE TWO KINGS. 

to Egypt where they would have plenty to 
live on. If they were to stay in Canaan 
they would starve. 

He sent wagons and servants after Jacob 
and his whole family. So they were saved 
from famine. Joseph saved Jacob and his 
family from starvation. 

Let me show you still another savior. 

After Joseph had died another ruler 
came up in Egypt. He knew not Joseph, 
nor did he seem to know how Joseph had 
saved Egypt from famine. This ruler cared 
nothing for the family of Jacob. He was 
very cruel to them. 

He even ordered the little boys cast into 
the water. He was afraid that there would 
be too many Israelites and that they might 
some day get rebellious. 

The people had a very hard lot. They 
were made to build fortified cities and make 
brick for them. Each man had a task to 
perform and if he failed, he was thrashed. 

So hard was the lot of the Israelites that 
they wished to go back to the Holy Land, 



A SAVIOR 71 

whither their God had promised one day to 
lead them. The people cried to God and He 
finally heard their prayers and sent to them 
a deliverer. His name was Moses. 

Moses was called of the Lord to lead the 
Israelites out of Egypt. When he came be- 
fore Pharaoh to make his business known, 
the king at once refused. 

Moses performed miracles to convince 
him that the Lord was back of this work. 
He cast his rod on the ground and it became 
a serpent. Then he took it by the tail and 
it was turned into a rod. He took water 
from the Nile and poured it on the ground 
and it became blood. He put his hand into 
his bosom, that is, under his coat, and it was 
diseased with leprosy. When he put it in 
again and drew it out, it was well. From 
these signs he wished to show Pharaoh that 
Jehovah had sent him. 

Pharaoh did not care for Jehovah and 
would not let His people go. Moses 
brought plagues on the land. The water of 
the streams turned into blood. There was 



72 THE TWO KINGS. 

nothing to drink. Frogs came everywhere. 
They jumped into the beds and cupboards. 
Frogs, frogs everywhere. Lice came. Also 
hail, and diseases upon the cattle. 

There were ten plagues in all. The last 
one, the most terrible of them all, made 
Pharaoh willing to dismiss the people. 

The death angel went out and smote the 
first-born, both of men and beasts. In all 
the houses and in all the stables and fields 
there were dead men and cattle. Pharaoh's 
own son was killed. This struck terror to 
the hearts of the king and people and they 
urged Israel to depart from Egypt. 

So Moses led them out and he saved 
Israel from slavery. 

Jesus is a Savior, but of an entirely dif- 
ferent class from Joseph and Moses and 
Lincoln. These men saved their fellow men 
in bodily distress. But Jesus came to save 
people from their sins. He was the only 
one who could do that. 

A man might rescue you from a burning 
building, or he might give you bread and 



A SAVIOR. 73 

clothing when in need. He might thus be- 
come the savior of your body, but he could 
not be the savior of your soul. No one is 
able to save your soul from sin and hell but 
Jesus Christ and, therefore, there is no 
Savior to be compared to Him. His work 
abides in eternity. 

Jesus means Savior. His name indi- 
cated His office and the purpose for which 
He was born. His name was given Him by 
the angel who, at the commandment of God, 
announced it to Joseph. The angel said: 
"She (Mary) shall bring forth a Son and 
thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall 
save His people from their sins. ' ' 

We name all our children. But most of 
them do not fulfill the promises contained 
in their names. We do not know to what 
particular work they are born and hence 
cannot correctly name them. 

Fredrich means "rich in peace." But 
some boy who bears the name is a regular 
fighting cock. He belies his beautiful name. 

Margaret signifies a pearl and Agnes a 



74 THE TWO KINGS. 

lamb. But some girls who bear these beauti- 
ful names have not the beauty of the pearl 
nor the humility of the lamb. They belie 
their names. Of course, their parents hoped 
that the children would turn out well and the 
names were to be prophetic. But the 
parents were deceived. 

It was not so with Jesus. Grod sent Him 
into the world. He knew what He would 
accomplish and He gave Him a name in 
which His life work was f orshadowed. 

"But/' you ask, "how did He save us''?' , 

In order to explain this I must take you 
back to the origin of the race. 

When the Creator made man He placed 
him into the garden of Eden. The Lord 
Himself had planted this garden and fur- 
nished it as an abode of man. 

To test man's obedience God planted the 
tree of knowledge of good and evil. He told 
man that he might eat of every other tree 
in the garden, but of this tree he should not 
eat. And He added a penalty for dis- 
obedience. He said: "The day thou eatest 



A SAVIOB. 75 

thereof thou shalt surely die." So death 
became the punishment for sin. If man 
transgressed the commandment of G-od he 
was to suffer death. 

Satan came into the garden. He was the 
enemy of Grod. He wanted to offend Him. 
In the form of a serpent, Satan came to our 
first parents and by lies and deception be- 
guiled them into eating the forbidden fruit. 

When the Lord called Adam to an ac- 
count he made excuses. But none of them 
were sufficient. So the Creator laid punish- 
ment upon the disobedient people. Death 
came upon them and upon all who were born 
of them. 

If Jesus Christ wished to save the race 
from their sins, He had to bear the punish- 
ment of sin, which was death. 

He frequently told His disciples that He 
would have to die in order to complete His 
life's work. He said: "Break this temple 
and I will build it in three days." He 
spoke of the breaking of His body, of His 
death and resurrection. 



76 THE TWO KINGS. 

His enemies grew very bitter toward 
Him and sought an opportunity to kill Him. 
They soon found it. Judas, one of the 
twelve, betrayed Him. For 30 pieces of sil- 
ver he told the enemies of Christ where they 
might find Him. 

They took Him and gave Him a mock 
trial. On the testimony of two false wit- 
nesses they condemned Christ. He pro- 
tested His innocence. But they were deter- 
mined to kill. They placed a crown of 
thorns upon His brow. They scourged Him. 

He was made to bear His own cross. 
When He fainted under it, they laid it on 
Simon of Cyrene. Arriving on Calvary, 
outside of the city walls, He was nailed to 
the cross. 

Six hours He suffered untold agony. 
Then He cried out: "It is finished." He 
bowed His head and gave up the Ghost. The 
work of salvation was finished. He had paid 
the penalty of man's sin. He suffered death. 

Jesus suffered this death in the place of 
all men. He died in place of them all. 



A SAVIOB. 77 

In olden times, among some nations, 
when a man was condemned to death it was 
the custom to give him a cup of poison. The 
condemned man drank it. 

Suppose that a thousand men had been 
condemned to die. Each man stands with 
his cup of poison. A man comes along the 
line and says to the first man: "Let me 
drink your poison for you." Then he goes 
to the second man and so on down the line. 
Of course, the poison kills the man, but all 
the prisoners are saved. He dies for them. 
The Bible says that Jesus tasted death for 
all men. 

Christ's death was representative. 

The army of the Philistines and the 
army of Israel once lay encamped opposite 
each other. Every day for 40 days there 
was a giant, Goliath, who came out from the 
Philistine army and challenged any single 
man to come out and fight him. 

He said something like this: "It is not 
necessary for these two armies to go into 
battle to settle the difficulty. We can do it 



78 THE TWO KINGS. 

by single combat. I will fight in the place 
of all my army. You may send out a man 
who may fight in the place of all your army. 
If I win, then all my army has won. If I 
lose, then all my army has lost." 

So he continued to extend this challenge 
for 40 days. The Israelites heard him, but 
no man dared to undertake the fight. Go- 
liath was almost 10 feet tall. He was as 
high as two small men, and a half taller than 
any common man. No wonder that no one 
undertook the fight. 

Jesse had several sons in the army of 
Israel. He called his son David from the 
field where he was keeping sheep and said to 
him: "Take this cheese and this bread to 
your brothers. Enquire how they are doing 
and bring me word again." Jesse was a 
true patriot. He sent his sons to fight for 
the country and showed an interest in the 
cause. 

David came into camp. He finished his 
business and delivered his eatables. Then 



A SAVIOR. 79 

he heard how all the soldiers were discuss- 
ing the challenge of Goliath. 

He heard the giant repeat his challenge. 
He heard that the king, Saul, was very 
anxious to have some man accept. He was 
so anxious that he promised his daughter as 
wife to any man who would gain the victory. 

David felt moved to accept the challenge. 
He told his brothers, but they made light of 
the matter. He was only a boy yet. 

The word was carried to Saul. He in- 
vestigated. David told him of his conflict 
with a bear and a wolf which he had while 
attending the sheep and said that God who 
helped him then would help him now. 

Saul inclined to let the young man go. He 
ordered a coat of mail put on him. This was 
a suit of iron clothes. They were worn by 
soldiers for protection. When David was 
dressed in the suit, it was so heavy and 
clumsy that he could not walk. 

He took off the coat of mail and said that 
he would go in his shepherd garments. All 
that he wanted for a weapon was a sling. 



80 THE TWO KINGS. 

He was an expert with that. Often when 
he was out in the fields he would practice 
and became so perfect that he could hit the 
mark. 

As he walked out to meet the boasting 
giant he had to walk through the dried up 
bed of a brook. Here he picked up five 
smooth stones. He put these in his shep- 
herd's pouch. 

The giant was enraged and insulted 
when he saw the boy coming out to meet 
him. He wanted to fight with a man. He 
swore and fumed and told what he would do 
with David. Goliath felt so sure of the vic- 
tory that he neglected to pull down the 
shield of his helmet. This left his forehead 
exposed. 

David came nearer. He told Goliath 
that he had not come out with staves and 
spear, but in the name of the Lord. With 
that he put a stone into his sling and hurled 
it at the giant. We believe that the Lord 
directed the stone. It struck the giant in 
the forehead and he fell down dead. 



A SAVIOR. 8i 

David leaped upon him and, taking Go- 
liath's sword, he cut off his head. 

When the Philistines saw that their 
champion was dead they all ran. They knew 
that in the death of Goliath they had all 
been conquered. The Israelites all pursued 
and killed as many as they could. 

David had won the battle for all Israel, 
and Goliath had lost it for all the Philis- 
tines. It was a battle by representation. 

Jesus was our David in the great battle 
with Satan. Our Savior did not enter this 
fight for Himself. Satan desired us. But 
he was so great and strong that no man 
could successfully fight with him. Then our 
Lord came and took our place. He fought 
with Satan and gained a signal victory. 
And this victory is ours. 

If one man steals apples it is not right to 
punish another for it. The man who com- 
mits the deed must also suffer the penalty. 
So when man sinned, God could not lay the 



82 THE TWO KINGS. 

punishment upon an angel. He must lay 
it upon man. 

Then if the punishment was to be taken 
away it could not be done by an angel. God 
asked obedience of men and angels could 
not render it for them. Only a man could 
redeem a man. 

Sometimes it is necessary to raise an 
army to keep peace within the country or 
to ward off the enemy from without. Men 
are drafted to fill up the army. The Presi- 
dent calls for able-bodied men of a certain 
age and they are obliged to leave their 
homes and families and business and go to 
war. 

It sometimes happens that a man cannot 
readily be spared. He has a family depend- 
ing upon him. But he has a friend and he 
can go more readily. He becomes a sub- 
stitute and takes the place of the first man. 
The President will frequently accept one 
man for another man. But a woman can- 
not become a substitute for a man in war. 
It takes a man to get a man free. 



A SAVIOR. 83 

When men were to be redeemed, it could 
not be done by an angel. An angel could not 
become a substitute for a man. But a man 
could take the place of men. Therefore 
Jesus assumed our nature and was a true 
man. 

He was born of the Virgin Mary. He 
had a true natural mother. He had a real 
body and a real soul. He came into the 
world as small and helpless as other child- 
ren. He had a nose and eyes and ears and 
all other members, just like all our children. 

He ate and drank. He slept and worked. 
He grew as other people by taking food and 
drink. He was a perfect man in every re- 
gard. And because He was a true man 
therefore He could be the substitute of men 
in the work of redemption. 

If a perfect man had been born he could 
save himself. God would be satisfied with 
his perfection. Or if he could do any more, 
he might save one other man. But what 
good would that do the whole mass of men ? 



84 THE TWO KINGS. 

It would help only one, while all the rest 
would be left in their misery. 

Jesus was more than a man. He was 
God at the same time. But God is infinite 
and therefore the sufferings of Christ had 
an infinite merit and were sufficient for aD 
men. 

Had our Savior been only a man, He 
could at best have been a substitute for one 
other man. But now that He is true God, 
He is the Savior of the whole human family. 
He tasted death for all men, that is He suf- 
fered death for all men. In Him the whole 
world is redeemed. 

There is but one Savior and that is Jesus. 
People who do not believe on Him cannot 
be saved. 

If you were going home some day and 
missed the way, you might attempt to get 
home, but you would fail. You might get 
on another way, but the farther that you 
followed it up, the farther it would lead you 
from home. If you wanted to go home, you 
must get on the right way. 



A SAVIOR. 86 

Jesus says: "I am the way — no man 
eometh to the Father but by me." 

There was but one man who could de- 
clare the slaves of the United States free 
and that was Abraham Lincoln, 

There was but one man who could sup- 
ply the sons of Jacob with grain and that 
was Joseph. 

There is but one person who has freed 
the world from sin and that is Jesus Christ. 
"There is no other name given among men 
whereby they may be saved. ' ' 

i ' Thou art the way ; to Thee alone 
From sin and death we flee ; 
And he who would the Father seek 
Must seek Him, Lord, through Thee. ' ' 



The Great Light. 

"/ am the light of the world; he that 
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, 
but shall have the light of life." 



87 



THE GREAT LIGHT. 

A boy named Tom was born in a coal 
mine. Strange place to be born ! His father 
was a watchman in the mine and had to 
spend so much of his time in it that he con- 
cluded that he would move there. 

Coal and mineral are laid in great sheets 
under the earth. Men dig into the side of a 
hill and bring these buried treasures out. 
They often follow a vein of coal or ore a 
mile or two under the earth. One passage 
after the other is opened until an old mine 
looks like the streets of a town. But, of 
course, it is very dark. 

Well, Tom was born in a mine. He grew 
to be several years old and had never seen 
the sun. All the light that he knew was the 
dim light of the miner's lamp. To him it 
seemed quite bright. His eyes had so 
adapted themselves to the darkness that he 
could see very well. 



90 THE TWO KINGS. 

One day little Tom strayed down the 
main alley farther than usual. He came 
upon a sudden turn and looking down, away 
in the distance, he saw such a light as he had 
never seen before. 

He followed it up. As he came nearer it 
grew brighter and his astonishment grew 
from moment to moment. It was so bright 
that it blinded him. But he followed it up. 
It led him to the mouth of the mine. 

When he came to it, he could at first not 
see at all. His eyes were so sensitive that he 
could not bear the light. He would close 
his eyelids and protect his eyes. Then he 
would open them. 

He saw objects that bewildered him. 
Hills covered with trees, the green earth, far 
off a silvery thread winding through the 
fields. But above all a lamp hung up in the 
heavens which burned so furiously that he 
could not even take a glance at it. 

What a beautiful world he beheld. When 
he compared it to the dark mine with noth- 
ing in sight but coal and mules and men and 



THE GREAT LIGHT. 91 

lamps, he could scarcely make up his mind 
to go back. Nor did he, until his mother 
came. She had missed him and had gone in 
search of him. 

She told him about the blue sky and the 
white clouds, about the sun, the earth and 
the trees. She told him many things which 
she had frequently told him before. But 
now he understood them in an altogether 
different way. 

After that every day Tom came to the 
mouth of the mine and soon spent the great- 
er part of his time outside and when he grew 
larger he could not be persuaded to be a 
miner. He wanted to live and work in the 
light of the sun. 

What a wonderful blessing sunlight is! 
The only reason why we do not appreciate it 
more is because we have grown so familiar 
with it. 

Did you ever get up early enough to see 
the sun rise? Well, if you are a city boy, 
even if you are up early enough, you do not 
see it in all its beauty. You must get out 



92 THE TWO KINGS. 

into the country and watch it. At first there 
are a few streaks of grey upon the horizon. 
These are the forerunners of the coming 
day. Then pencils of red shoot up into the 
sky and at last there is a flood of light in the 
east as the day star shoots into view. 

Everything rejoices at the return of day. 
The cattle get up and stretch their limbs and 
low. Horses sniff the air and run about. 
Birds and fowl, having roosted at night, 
sing and crow and men come forth from 
their houses and go to their work, rejoicing 
that it is again day. 

Have you ever thought of what would 
become of the world without sunlight? 
Plants could not grow without it. A potato 
which sprouts in a dark cellar sends up a 
pale, sickly sprout and soon dies for lack 
of light. Man and animals deprived of 
light are infirm. 

If there were no plants there would be 
no food for men and animals and in a very 
short time there would not be a sign of life 



the great light. 93 

on earth. It would be dead. The earth de- 
pends upon the sun for its life. 

Jesus says of Himself, "I am the light 
of the world ; he that f olloweth me shall not 
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of 
life. ' ' What the sun does for the earth, call- 
ing forth life on it and sustaining the same, 
Jesus does for the souls of men. He gives 
them life. 

Without the teaching of Jesus the world 
is in dense darkness. 

Gentiles have very strange and even 
wicked notions of God. They are in the 
dark. Usually they know nothing about the 
true God, so they make srods unto them- 
selves. Out of wood or stone, silver or gold, 
they fashion idols and fall down and wor- 
ship them. These images are frequently 
very horrid, yet people in their blindness 
adore them. 

Some heathen worship the sun, moon or 
stars ; others pray to mountains or rivers or 
cattle. Some adore fire or serpents or imag- 
inary beings. But they do not worship the 



94 THE TWO KINGS. 

true God becaues they do not know Him and 
cannot find Him. They are so benighted by 
sin. 

Probably these poor people have an ink- 
ling that these gods of their own making 
are not the true God, but their hearts cry out 
for something to worship and so they invent 
idols. 

They usually have very distorted notions 
about their gods. The Greeks and Romans 
had a god of drunkenness called Bacchus. 
He would get up a carousal and get all the 
gods on Olympus, the home of the gods, 
drunken. How could they respect a set of 
gods who would get drunk ! They probably 
liked the idea, for if their gods got intoxi- 
cated it was but natural that the people 
should follow suit. 

The gentiles do not have any clear idea 
of one God, nor do they understand that this 
one God is supreme. They do not think 
Him almighty. They limit the power of 
their own gods. 

So on one occasion Benhadad II of Syria 



THE GREAT LIGHT. 95 

made war upon Aliab. The battle took place 
on the mountains and the Syrians were beat- 
en. They ascribed the victory to the God 
of the Israelites and said that He was 
mighty only on the heights, for they consid- 
ered Him a god of the mountains. The year 
after they renewed the battle and this time 
they drew the Israelites out on the plain of 
Jezreel, for they concluded that if Israel's 
God was a god of the mountains, He would 
be powerless on the plains. They were again 
beaten. They had no idea of one God who 
was all powerful. 

How horrid the worship of some of their 
gods is. We read of Moloch in the Bible. 
He was a fire god. A large, ugly image was 
set up. They called it Moloch. This image 
was heated red hot and then human sacri- 
fices were thrown into its glowing lap and 
roasted alive. Notably first-born children 
were desired for sacrifice. Think of a god 
who would delight in the torture of innocent 
children ! 

In India people worship the river Gan- 



96 THE TWO KINGS. 

ges. It is considered sacred. People bathe 
in it to receive blessings. Into this river 
mothers throw their helpless babes and 
drown them. It is pitiable to think that 
these people are so benighted as to hold that 
such sacrifices will bring forgiveness of sin 
and peace of soul. These mothers are, un- 
doubtedly, serious in their religion, else they 
would not offer their children. They love 
their little ones as well as we do ours, and 
it must be a land of darkness where such re- 
ligious notions prevail. 

In most lands where the Christian re- 
ligion is not known the lot of children is very 
hard. They are considered a burden on 
their parents. If these are poor they find 
it difficult to raise their offspring. They 
are exposed to heat or cold, to famine and 
nakedness, until they perish. The parents 
do not think this a sin. 

In China it is a misfortune in a family 
if a girl baby is born. 

In Persia the girls are not sent to school. 

Some gentile nations question whether a 



THE GKEAT LIGHT. 97 

woman has a soul and they buy and sell her 
as they do cattle. A man may marry a dozen 
women in the spring and compel them to 
put out his crops and attend them. But in 
the fall, when all the crops have been har- 
vested, he may divorce all these women and 
save the expense of keeping them over 
winter. 

All these sinful things these people do, 
because their religion does not forbid them. 

Self torture is a common form of wor- 
ship. God has given us our bodies and asks 
us to care for them, but gentile religions 
teach otherwise. The more a man abuses 
himself, the more pain he inflicts upon him- 
self, the more faithful he is. 

In India they practice hook swinging. 
A large, sharp hook is dug into the flesh of 
the victim and then, drawing him by a rope 
upon a pole, he is left to hang there for a day 
or two in the glare of the sun. 

They also burn a widow on the funeral 
pile. If her husband dies and she wishes to 



98 THE TWO KINGS. 

show how devoted she is to him, she burns 
herself up. Horrid! Horrid!! 

In some countries men run sharp sticks 
through their cheeks and leave them there 
for a long time. Others take knives and 
lacerate themselves; others put stones into 
their shoes and undertake a journey of 500 
miles. Some crawl the same distance. Still 
others lie down on the ground and measure 
the entire distance with their bodies. Some 
are buried alive. 

It would take too long to tell of all the 
horrible things which gentiles do to show 
their religion. But enough has been said to 
show that they are in spiritual darkness 
from which no one can help them but Jesus 
Christ. He is the light of the world. When 
men find Him the}^ find the true Grod and 
His worship, the}' are taught His will and 
the way to salvation, they learn how to treat 
their children, their wives and their own 
bodies. 

What a difference there is between day 
and night. Darkness makes men fearful, 



THE GREAT LIGHT. 99 

while light gives them courage. Most forms 
of wickedness are practiced in the dark and 
are therefore also called the works of dark- 
ness. G-ood deeds are done in broad day- 
light and are called the works of light. 

There must be some reason why it is bet- 
ter to live in our land than in a gentile land. 
This reason cannot lie in the soil and water 
and air and sunlight, for there are other 
lands blessed with these as abundantly as 
our own. Then where is the difference % 

The difference is in our religion. We 
have the true religion, while many lands have 
false religions. A good tree brings forth 
good fruit while a corrupt tree brings forth 
evil fruit. 

We have been taught by the Lord Him- 
self. He came into the world to declare 
unto men the will of His heavenly Father. 
If your papa wants anything of you he must 
tell you. You cannot know his will until he 
speaks of it. No matter how hard you may 
try to find out his will, you do not know it 
certainly until he reveals it to you. 



100 THE TWO KINGS. 

No matter how hard men may try to find 
out the will of God, they can only guess at it 
until He Himself tells them what He wants. 
Men cannot see God. They cannot speak to 
Him. They can only surmise His will. 

The gentiles have hunted for the true 
God. They have sought to discover His will 
They have guessed at it, but their guesses 
have been very wild and all forms of wor- 
ship and service which they have invented 
are an abomination to Him. They have not 
found the light and cannot find it until they 
know Jesus, the teacher sent from God, to 
reveal the will of His heavenly Father. 

Where people know Jesus and do His 
teaching how different things are ! There 
people know that there is but one God, not 
many. There people know how to worship 
God acceptably and avoid what displeases 
Him. 

When children are born in Christian 
families there is rejoicing. These little 
ones are raised carefully. They are sent to 
school. Above all they are taught to love 



THE GREAT LIGHT. lOl 

Jesus, who is the author of all their bless- 
ings. 

The light which Jesus gave the world 
brings happiness and joy wherever it pene- 
trates. How happy it makes the lot of crip- 
ples and aged people, the poor and the blind. 

Some months ago a native Persian, now 
in America, heard that his cousin, also a 
Persian, but now a Christian minister in our 
land, had gone insane and was in an asylum. 
"Poor man," said the first Persian, "how 
I pity him, because they will abuse him so. ' ' 

I said: "Why will they abuse him'?" 

He answered: "Do they not abuse peo- 
ple who go insane 1 In my country they are 
so hard on the insane and afflicted." 

He was glad to hear that people in the 
charitable institutions and even in the pris- 
ons were treated kindly. He could scarcely 
believe it, but he saw better than before what 
the religion of Jesus does. It makes peo- 
ple kind to the afflicted, the erring and even 
to the beasts of the field. 

There is but one place to find this Light 



102 THE TWO KINGS. 

of the world and that is in the Bible. Here 
we have a record of the entire life and teach- 
ings of Christ. 

People may learn something of God out- 
side of the Bible. They may study His 
works. They may look at the sun, moon and 
stars; they may study the mountains and 
rivers, the plants and animals on the earth ; 
they may look at their own bodies and minds 
and learn that God is wise and mighty and 
good. But while all the works of nature tes- 
tify that there is a Supreme Being who has 
made them, not any of them give any infor- 
mation upon His will unto salvation. 

This knowledge is found alone in the 
Bible. Here we are told of the work of 
Jesus, that by sufferings and death He paid 
the penalty of our sins and took from us the 
wrath of God. 

In the Bible we have the teachings of 
Jesus. He shows us who the true God is and 
how we may acceptably worship Him. He 
shows us how to live, how to love each other 
and exercise kindness toward each other. 



THE GREAT LIGHT. 103 

When people find these teachings they 
find the light and if they apply the doctrine 
of Jesus in their lives they no longer walk 
in darkness but in the light. 

The chief reason why our country excels 
gentile lands is because we have the Bible. 
As long as the heathen nations do not have 
this blessed book and do not understand its 
teachings, they will remain in a pitiable con- 
dition. 

We must send the heathen world the 
Bible. Along with it we must send teachers 
and preachers, usually called missionaries. 
We must send money to help these laborers 
to live, to erect schools and churches and 
orphanages and hospitals and asylums. And 
when the now benighted heathen understand 
our religion there will be some who will ac- 
cept it and slowly the whole land will get the 
benefit. Light will come to the people who 
sit in darkness. 

In Germany there was a large gathering 
of missionary friends. The pastor of the 
congregation announced that a returned 



104 THE TWO KINGS. 

missionary from India would preach. This 
excited the curiosity of many and the church 
was filled. 

The missionary preached. His face was 
sunburned from the tropical climate of 
Africa. But his heart burned with love for 
Jesus and the wretched negroes. The 
preacher had given himself body and soul 
to the work of converting the blacks. But 
he could not succeed without help. 

He concluded that he would undertake 
the long journey home and there enlist 
greater sympathy for his work. 

He told the congregation of the many 
sinful ways of the people, their worship of 
idols and even of devils, their brutal ways 
of treating each other, their fights and 
brawls and wars, their neglect of children. 

"But," said he, "this may all be changed 
if the light of the Gospel is shed upon them. 
Some are already mending their ways. 

"We need help. Give us your prayers. 
Give us your money. Give us your sons. 



THE GREAT LIGHT. 105 

God will add His blessing and many souls 
will be won for Christ." 

He closed his address. As the congrega- 
tion went out the deacons stood at the door 
and the people dropped their offerings into 
the plate. It was a goodly collection for 
the people were touched. 

Up in the gallery sat a boy. He heard 
the plea of the preacher. His heart yearned 
to do something. But what could he do? 
He was poor. 

He sat there till nearly all the people 
had gone out. Finally he thought that he 
must leave. He had not the heart to pass 
the basket and yet he had nothing to put in. 
What should he do ? 

He thought that he would wait till the 
deacon would go away. But the deacon 
heard footsteps and thought that there was 
a belated worshiper. So he would not move ; 
he wanted everybody to give something. 

The deacon did not move and the boy 
could not summon courage to pass the 
basket. 



106 THE TWO KINGS. 

Suddenly there was a thought flashed 
into his soul. Who knows but that God sent 
it to him. The boy stood thoughtfully for a 
moment, then he braced up and walked 
boldly to the door. 

"Deacon," said the lad, "hold the basket 
a little lower." The good officer thought 
that since it was a small boy he would hold 
the basket lower. 

"A little lower yet," said the boy. 

The deacon looked a little astonished and 
held it way down to the boy's knees. 

' ' Set it on the floor, deacon, ' ' the boy re- 
quested. 

Down the basket went on the floor. 

Then the boy with real religious sobriety 
stepped into the basket and said: "Deacon, 
I am almost heartbroken that I am so poor. 
I never felt it so in my life. I do so much 
want to give something to the poor heathen. 
And having nothing else to give I am forced 
to give myself. I want to be a missionary." 

"Why," said the officer, "you have given 



THE GREAT LIGHT. 107 

more than the whole congregation." And 
so it was. 

It is in the power of some poor boy to 
give himself to the mission work and, if he 
does, he will give more than any rich man 
gives who contributes only money, no mat- 
ter how great the amount. 

Our Savior has said : ' ' Go and preach the 
Gospel unto every creature." Men must 
surrender their hearts to God and despite 
the hardships of the work, go and preach. 

Some parents discourage their children 
from going; but thank God, others conse- 
crate their offspring to the Lord and are 
thankful when He accepts them. 

We cannot all become missionaries, nor 
is it necessary. Some have not the gifts. 
Others have duties which they cannot leave 
without great harm. If all wanted to go, 
there would be too many. Only a few need 
to go. 

But we can all do something which will 
enable others to go. While we cannot go, 
we can send the willing ones out, and we can 



108 THE TWO KINGS. 

contribute money to support them in their 
work. 

In this way we ourselves are preaching 
the Gospel unto the lost world. 

Are you ready to forego the pleasure of 
a little candy or a toy, in order to make an 
offering to missions? Think of what Jesus 
has done for you! Think of the blessings 
which we enjoy under the influence of His 
teaching ! Think of the sacrifices which the 
missionaries are making in order to bring 
the Light of the word to the gentiles ! 

"The Lord loveth a cheerful giver." 



A Mysterious Change. 

"There is a Reaper whose name is Death 

And with his sickle keen, 
He reaps the bearded grain at a breath 

And the flowers that grow between." 

— Longfellow. 

"We shall all be changed in a moment, 
in the twinkling of an eye." 



ioe 



A MYSTERIOUS CHANGE. 

When the children of Israel were on that 
long journey of 40 years from Egypt to the 
Holy Land Jehovah fed them with manna. 
Every morning the ground was covered with 
a small white substance. It looked like hoar 
frost. It was sweet to the taste. Each one 
gathered as much as he wanted for that day. 
They did not have to work for manna as we 
do for bread. God gave them this bread 
from heaven to eat. 

After they had enjoyed this manna for 
a while, they tired of it. They wanted a 
change. They even murmured against God 
for sending them only manna. 

It seems that sin has made the human 
heart dissatisfied. It is contented but a lit- 
tle while and then it wants a change. 

When a girl gets a doll with real hair and 

beautiful dresses which can be put on and 

taken off at will, she says; "Qh, I will never 
111 



112 THE TWO KINGS. 

tire of this handsome doll. I will play with 
it all my life. ' ' But when she has it a week, 
it is no longer so interesting to her and she 
longs for a book and when she gets the book 
the doll is almost neglected. 

People everywhere want a change. In 
part this is natural, God having made us so ; 
and, in part, it is the effect of sin upon our 
minds. 

When winter first comes, how we do en- 
joy the crisp, frosty mornings. They are 
so bracing, but in a few months we are tired, 
we want spring. This coming, we are again 
very happy to see the grass growing green 
and all the trees budding, to hear the songs 
of the returning birds. But it does not last. 
Again we want summer, with its growing 
weather and fall with its luscious fruits. We 
are always glad when the new season comes 
in. 

The boy looks forward to his manhood 
with great anxiety. He does not wish any 
longer to be a boy. The young man longs 
for married life and all the responsibilities 



A MYSTERIOUS CHANGE. 113 

of business. And the middle-aged long for 
the rest which old age is supposed to bring. 

Our life is full of change. It is God's 
will that we shall pas through the various 
stages of development from infancy to old 
age. It is His will that the seasons shall 
change and that each one shall bring us new 
delights. It is His will that we have changes 
in our food and clothing, and that we shall 
delight in them. It is His will that we may 
visit other places and scenes and even for- 
eign lands. 

Human life is made up of many changes, 
but there is one coming that is greater than 
any of which we have spoken. St. Paul 
says: "We shall all be changed, in a mo- 
ment, in the twinkling of an eye." He 
speaks of the great change called death and 
of our passing through the resurrection into 
eternal life. No mind can fully understand 
how wonderful this mysterious change will 
be. 

We have in nature some wonderful trans- 



114 THE TWO KINGS. 

formations in which out of something ugly, 
something very beautiful appears. 

I am writing this little talk on white 
paper. One day a rag picker went along 
the street. With a stick he picked out of 
the gutter a filthy rag. He put it in his rag 
bag. He sold it. It wandered to the paper 
mills. Here it was washed and boiled and 
cleansed and pressed over and over, until at 
last it issued from the machine a piece of 
paper that was spotless and beautiful 
enough for a king to write on. This was a 
great change for a rag to make. 

As I sit by the table writing I look out 
of the window upon some green fields and 
thrifty orchards and in the distance I see 
the smoke of a busy city. The light falls in 
upon my table through a large pane of glass. 
Where did the glass, so pure and transpar- 
ent, come from? 

There goes a man with a horse and 
wagon and a shovel. He is going after a 
load of sand. He intends taking it to a 
factory. Here the sand will be mixed with 



A MTSTEEIOUS CHANGE. 115 

other things, then it will be poured into a 
furnace. This is hotter than the furnace 
into which the three young Hebrews were 
cast. The sand is all melted and changed 
into a liquid state. 

Men stand around the furnace and thrust 
blow pipes into it. On the end of the pipe a 
bit of the molten mass adheres. The men 
blow through the pipes. The lump expands. 
Then it is cut and laid out to cool. The sand 
has been changed into glass. What a mys- 
terious change! 

Some years ago I was rowing on a body 
of water. All around on the surface there 
floated the most beautiful lilies. One could 
scarcely believe that down in the slimy, 
filthy bottom a bulb had been planted in 
some way. It germinated and a stem shot 
up through the slime and worked its way 
out to the light and air on the surface. A 
bud came and it burst and there lay the lily 
floating on the surface and turning its face 
toward the sun and by its beauty of form 
and color praising its Maker. Could one 



116 THE TWO KINGS. 

believe that out of the slime and mud of the 
river bottom, such a beautiful creature could 
come? Yet it was there. It was a great 
change. 

To most children, and for that matter, to 
most adults also, there is something dis- 
gusting about a caterpillar. One hates to 
touch them as they eat their fill on the trees 
or on plants. How dreadful those look 
which have a kind of horn on them! 

But when the caterpillar has eaten 
enough, he spins a web around himself and 
passes into a cocoon. He takes a long sleep. 
Then the cocoon seems to move a little. In 
a day or two it bursts open and behold the 
butterfly! What a change from a cater- 
pillar to butterfly! 

The Bible teaches that at the beginning 
the Maker took dust and out of it He fash- 
ioned the human body. It was perfect and 
beautiful. 

But when Adam and Eve, in the garden 
of Eden, ate of the forbidden fruit, death 
came upon the human body. It now passes 



A MYSTEEIOUS CHANGE. 117 

back to dust whence it was taken. When a 
man dies, we bury him and after a few years 
there is nothing left of him but some dust. 

While the body returns to dust, it is a 
very disgusting sight and very offensive 
every way. So we deposit our dead in the 
earth that we need not witness this change. 

But we are taught that the same God who 
made the body out of dust will out of the 
decayed dust bring forth a new body which 
will surpass the old body in beauty and per- 
fection as the butterfly surpasses the cater- 
pillar. 

"The hour is coming in the which all that 
are in their graves shall hear His voice and 
shall come forth ; they that have done good 
unto the resurrection of life ; and they that 
have done evil, unto the resurrection of 
damnation. " John 5, 28.29. 

People may ask the question: "How is 
this possible ?" We will answer that by ask- 
ing two other questions : "How was it pos- 
sible for God to make the body originally 
out of dust?" And: "How is it possible 



118 THE TWO KINGS. 

for God out of food, out of bits of bread 
and meat and fruits today to build up our 
bodies?" It is possible because He is al- 
mighty. He can at last take the human 
body through the mysterious change, called 
in the Bible the resurrection. 

We know that something akin to this has 
already been done. 

Elisha, the prophet, was frequently en- 
tertained by a rich Shunamite woman. As 
a reward for her kindness the prophet 
promised her a son, she being childless. 
After some years the lad went into the field. 
He seems to have had an attack of sunstroke. 
After a few hours he died. 

The mother in her distress sent for 
Elisha and coming he brought the child 
back to life. 

Jesus raised Lazarus after he was dead 
already four days and was stinking. The 
Savior also raised up the daughter of Jairus 
and the son of the widow of Nain and He 
says : "I am the resurrection and the life, he 



A MYSTERIOUS CHANGE. 119 

that believeth in me though he were dead, 
yet shall he live." 

But our Lord did not only display this 
power on others. Most wonderful of all He 
displayed it upon Himself. 

His friends took Him down from the 
cross on Calvary and buried Him in a new 
grave that was hewn into a rock. They 
rolled a heavy stone before the mouth of the 
grave and went away. 

His enemies set a watch around the stone 
and sealed it. They were afraid that the 
disciples of Jesus would come and steal his 
body and say that He had arisen. 

But on the third day, invisible hands 
rolled the stone back. The soldiers fell to 
the ground and terror-stricken they ran into 
the Holy City. Then Jesus came forth and 
showed Himself to his friends. 

If Christ was able to overcome death in 
Himself and others, He will certainly be able 
to fulfill His promise and take us through 
the mysterious change. 

All the dead shall come forth. Some 



120 THE TWO KINGS. 

have died and their friends have laid them 
to rest in the grave, the proper sleeping 
chamber of the dead. But some have died 
and been buried at sea, probably the fish 
have devoured them. Others have been 
consumed by fire, others have been swal- 
lowed by the earth as were Dathan and 
Abiram and Korah who rebelled against 
Moses and Aaron. How will these come 
back % Listen. 

A chemist stood before his class one day 
and was explaining to them the nature of 
two liquids. Accidentally a cup slipped 
from his hands. It fell into an acid so sharp 
that it was soon dissolved. Just as sugar 
melts in tea, so there are liquids strong 
enough to dissolve metals. 

The chemist took another bottle and 
poured its contents in the first vessel. 
Slowly the liquid gave up the metal again. 
It lay on the bottom. He gathered it up 
and out of the lump of metal he again made 
his cup. 

No matter in what manner death may 



A MTSTEEIOUS CHANGE. 121 

have come to man, no matter what has be- 
come of his body, God can find the particles 
again and bringing them together, He can 
fashion a new body. 

The Resurrection Day will be awful. It 
shall be preceded by signs in the sun, moon 
and stars. They shall lose their light. The 
sea shall become furious, rushing landward 
and washing away cities. 

The archangel shall blow his trumpet. 
Probably it will be Gabriel, this distin- 
guished messenger of God who stands near 
His throne. He was sent to announce the 
birth of John the Baptist to Zacharias, and 
of Jesus to Mary. He has rendered much 
important service to the kingdom of God 
on earth and probably he will be entrusted 
with the announcement of the coming of the 
Judge. 

When the dead hear this blasting of the 
angel's trumpet they will obey the su mm ons. 
Of course, they will not all come from their 
graves with the same willingness. 

The prisoner who comes from his cell to 



122 THE TWO KINGS. 

be hanged comes in a different spirit from 
him who comes to be released. The one 
comes with dread, the other with joy. 

Some dead shall come forth to damna- 
tion. Their new bodies shall not be glorious. 
Other dead shall come forth unto life eternal 
and they shall be clothed with bodies that 
are perfect and beautiful beyond all descrip- 
tion. 

We do not know in detail just what the 
new body shall be like. We only know that 
our bodies then shall be like the glorious 
body of Jesus. It was white as the light. 
It moved with the swiftness of lightning and 
was not limited to space as is ours. 

It was not subject to suffering or pain. 

That new body will be free from all im- 
perfections. Sin has left its trace in this 
body. Some are cripples, others blind and 
lame, others lack members, due to accident 
and disease ; but it will not be so there. The 
corruptible will put on the incorruptible, 
the mortal will put on the immortal. Dis- 



A MYSTERIOUS CHANGE. 123 

ease will not affect us and everything about 
us will be perfect. 

You have probably known some little 
hunch-back. How glorious it will be for 
this little body to be erect. You have known 
some one here who lacked an eye. God will 
give him perfect sight there. As the body 
was perfect when it came forth from the 
hand of Grod, so it will be again perfected 
and glorified there. 

There is a festival in the church year on 
which our attention is especially called to 
the great change coming. It is Easter, the 
day on which we celebrate the resurrection 
of Jesus and rejoice in His return from the 
dead, bringing us the knowledge of the life 
beyond the grave. 

There was once a little island on which 
the people lived very contentedly. But 
there was one thing that gave the people a 
great scare. 

One day while many were down on the 
sea shore watching the tide come in and list- 
ening to its swish as the waters rushed over 



124 THE TWO KINGS. 

the pebbles, some one sighted a ship. It 
stood way out at sea. Ships had frequently 
been seen. They had landed too, and so no 
one made any ado about the sail. 

The people went on in their sports. The 
children had buckets and spoons and dug up 
the white sand. Some of the men were dig- 
ging clams and prepared to roast them. A 
few boys gathered sea weeds and some 
waded into the surf and hallooed when the 
swell came in and lifted them from their 
feet. 

Meantime the ship drew nearer. Peo- 
ple noticed that not only the hull but even 
the sails were black. That was unusual. It 
caused some remarks. Closer and closer the 
vessel came. It stood in for the shore. 

The people stood in wonderment. A life- 
boat was lowered and the sailors pulled for 
the shore. There was not a smiling face 
among them. 

Before the islanders knew what was be- 
ing done, the sailors had landed, snatched 
up a few people nearest to them, forced 



A MTSl^EIOTJS CHANGE. 125 

them into the life-boat and rowed for the 
vessel. The captives were put on deck and 
away the crew sped. 

The islanders were frantic. Their 
friends were snatched away from them. 
They waited a week and then a month to 
hear from them, but no message came. 

The people were beginning to recover 
from their fright. They went to the beach 
as before. 

Again the black vessel hove in sight. 
The islanders made ready to resist a landing. 
But as they fought a few were drawn into 
the life-boat and disappeared leaving behind 
no trace of their whereabouts. 

There was unusual sadness all over the 
island. Homes were made desolate and 
hearts were broken. Life seemed a dread 
for no one knew on what day he would be 
robbed and taken on that journey from 
which so far no one had returned. 

Another day came. From the beach 
there arose the frightful cry: "The black 
ship ! The black ship ! To arms ! To arms ! ' ' 



126 THE TWO KINGS. 

There was terror everywhere; strong men 
stood rooted to the earth. Their jaws chat- 
tered and their knees trembled. 

The black ship landed. The people re- 
sisted but the result was just the same. 
When the black vessel withdrew it took with 
it a hundred inhabitants. 

But see! there is one more courageous 
than the rest. He has jumped into a little 
boat, he has spread its sail and is cutting his 
way through the waters after the boat. 

"Oh, how foolish! What can he do? Do 
come back!" These were the cries which 
were heard. But he went on. 

There was no trace of him. Night came, 
but there was no news. His friends were 
sad, because he was such a good man and 
they had built their hopes on him. Another 
day passes and still there is no news from 
him. 

But on the third day, early in the morn- 
ing as the islanders were going to the beach 
for their morning bath, some one with 
keener sight than the rest, sees a tiny speck 



A MYSTERIOUS CHANGE. 127 

out on the horizon.. He tells the rest but 
they cannot yet discern it. 

In a half hour they all see the tiny white 
sail. It is set for the shore. Then the lit- 
tle boat becomes visible. They all crowd 
around the shore. 

They recognize the occupant. It is their 
brave leader. They cheer him as he lands 
and are thankful that they have him alive. 

And this was his message: "I have 
found our missing friends. The black ship 
which robbed them from us, has landed them 
on the shores of a very beautiful island. 
They are all happy. They sing songs of re- 
demption and deliverance. They are better 
off than we are. The black ship will come 
again. It will take us to them and we shall 
be happy with them." 

This island is the earth. Men were 
happy here till the black ship, death, came. 
It carried away friends from each other and 
men were helpless against it. 

Jesus is the bold leader who went and 
followed the black ship. He went into 



128 THE TWO KINGS. 

death. His friends were very sad when he 
left them. 

But on the third day He returned, bring- 
ing the joyful message that there is another 
world beyond the grave and that all who 
believe in Him are happy in heaven. He 
has promised us that in that better world 
we may meet our friends and be with them 
forever. 

We must pass through a great change. 
Death is awful — the most dreadful thing 
on earth. We fear it. But Jesus has 
tasted death and has taken away its horrors, 
assuring us that the big black vessel will 
land us on the shores of eternity and that 
there in a glorified body in the company of 
saints and angels we shall live happily for- 
ever. 

God has made us to live and, therefore, 
we cannot love death. But it becomes less 
terrible by the teaching of Jesus. 

We are all waiting until our great change 
comes. If we are believers in Christ we 
know that that change shall bring us deliver- 



A MYSTERIOUS CHANGE. 129 

anee from all evil in this vale of tears and 
blessedness with Jesus forever. 

"Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall 
not all sleep but we shall all be changed. 
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at 
the last trump : for the trumpet shall sound 
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible 
and we shall be changed." I Cor., 15, 51.52. 



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